New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-18
MANY SCIENTISTS sIGHT.SEEINo.
BLAcKwELIs ISLAND, LIEUTENANT zALiNsKI's Gun
AND THE FALL OF BABYLON VISITED.

AND THE FALL OF BABYLON VISITED.
There was general scattering. yesterday Of the
1000 scientists who have been inconvention for
week or more at Columbia College A good manv
took advantage OF the low rates offered by the New.
York Central Railroad for trip TO Saratoga and
Lake George. Some went directly home, othev
went abroad Ex-President Langley, the Pittsburr
astronomist, vas one OF those who tailed tor Liver.
pool the City Of Rome. He will attend the sessions
of the scientific conference to be held this fall ia
London. Other prominent members OF the associs-
ton went with Professor Langley, Professor Csvs-
land Able. of the Signal Service Professor F. w.
Clark, Dr. b. G. Cooks and Mrs. Cock, Miss Anita
Newc,mb, of Washington; MISS Helen G. De s.
Abbott, J. w. Edwards ana Professor q. V. RIlsy.
hundred OF more scientists went to the Anchor Line
pier to see the party of.
Three or four hundred members OF the association
stayed In the city for the outings that had been
planned for yesterday. The steam boat of the Chair
ties and Correction Department had a cod load Of
philosophers at 10 o'clock in the morning Tor the ysa
to the Blsckwelps Island prisons, hospitals and
asylums. The Rev. William @. French, one OF the
Island chapains, took charge OF the party anG guided
the visitors through the different institutions The
scientists were struck especially by the order and
neatness of everything Some vi them spent all tie
morning aud o part OF the afternoon on the Island.
Boats ran back every hour two. Fifty biologists
set out for the Palisades and the Bergen Hills uDaer
the direction of Professor Kunz at 1870 D. m They
took the Weehawken Ferry from Forty-second-st,
and were driven in from tho West Shore Rail-
road station up along the heights The trap and
sandstone exposures looked over at some length
and the party did not get back until evening.
The Mechanical engineers won't down 10 Fort
Lafayette to see Lieutenant E. l.. Zalinsk fire his
pneumatic dynamite gun. This wss the most popular
OF the trips and perhaps the most exciting. The
gineers took the ferry to thirty -nnthst, Brook.
lyn, and then rode out to Fort Hamilton tho cars.
From the shore they were carried out to the dis
msntled oheese-box fort In rowboats. In the party
Engineers Professor Rogers, OF Colby Univeisityy
Engineer P. H. Dudley, II. F. Porter, of Columbis
College; Cornelius Van Brunt and Engineer Foster
Flagg. Three Spanish officers who had been sent
over fro Madrid to look into the new dynamite gun
Joined tie scientists at Bay Ridge. They smoked
cigarettes and took copious notes on the working OF
Gomez Nunez, captain OF field artillery Jose Garcia
De Ia Tore captain artillery in the navy, and
Lieutenant Zalinski first got up on the breech Of
the teescop gun and explained its construo-
ton Then big dynamite cartridge was brOugh,
out and inspected. The cartridge looks like huge
pencil with tapering tailpieoe. 1t holds from ftty
TO 100 pounds OF dynamite and two electrical
batteries for touching the dynamite on One battery
completes its circuit when the shell sinks in tho
water and the water runs In the open cap-hoe. The
other is set of by detonation il it strkes anything
the tube and the compressed air behind it was set
loose. There was loud report and the cartridge
sailed away In beautiful curve and hurled itself il
the ocean down toward CoDey Island with splash.
second or two after a column OF water rose up
straight tor forty eet and the sound OF the explosion
came like clap OF thunder. The whole thing took
only zig SECONDS. The second cartridge nad lOV
pounds OF dynamite in it. but the tapiece broke Oh
before it hit the water and xplos:on took place
too far down to make much show. blank cartridge
with propeller-like tapiece was fired. aud its
cspers In the air were highly amusing. Lieutensnt
Zansk then exploded some small chunks OF dynamite
gelatlne by defamation TO show the effect at short
range. The scientists greatly pleased with tue
gun, and all commended the ingenuity and the SIM
plicitv OF the working.
In the evening good many of the wise men went
to Staten Island 10 see Tue Fall OF Babylon Tbs
chemists and physicists admired the fireworks and
the archeologists were much edited by the ancient
Assyrian ballet.